‘Second chance jobs movement’ offers path to sustainable livelihoods
Turnaround Tuesday, which bills itself as a “second chance jobs movement,” has opened a community hub on the York Road Corridor at Govans Boundary United Methodist Church.
“This location represents so much more than the opening of a space,” said Stacey Hubbard, the organization’s associate director of wellness and a member of the Govans Boundary community.
“It represents opportunity, restoration and hope,” she said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in March. “It presents a place where people will find support, resources and pathways to meaningful employment and wellness.”
Turnaround Tuesday got its start in 2014 in East Baltimore. Initially founded as a re-entry movement, the initiative supports men and women returning from incarceration by connecting them to employment opportunities with major institutions that offer livable wages, fostering long-term stability and sustainable livelihoods.
To date Turnaround Tuesday has placed over 2,600 people.
At the beginning, organizers quickly discovered that many of those who were willing to leave the street culture were deemed unemployable. Common problems included a criminal background, a lack of basic skills or an inability to access necessary documentation, such as a birth certificate or Social Security card, to obtain services.
Turnaround Tuesday uses a five-step process to address these issues and to set participants up for long-term employment. Many of its participants are citizens returning from incarceration.
The first step is an assessment of potential job barriers, everything from outstanding warrants to housing needs and mental health challenges. As part of this process, the staff looks for ways to remove these barriers and the appropriate resources available for participants.
The next step is an individual meeting, where staff members work to build relationships with participants.
Next come four weeks of essential skills training that culminates with an on-site job fair. After the training, participants are encouraged to continue with Turnaround Tuesday sessions until they get a job.
The fifth step is retention to help participants stay connected and encourage further growth.
Govans Boundary is the fifth Turnaround Tuesday site. Despite the name, the Govans hub operates on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.
The doors are open from 10 a.m. to noon at 5210 York Road. No preregistration is needed, and interested persons can just show up.
Space is available to accommodate 20 to 30 people each Thursday that the hub is open.
Intake is also available at Turnaround Tuesday’s home base location every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. This site is at Zion Baptist Church, 1600 Harford Ave.
“They were looking to bring something to this part of the city, and we had space,” said Rev. Andre R. Briscoe Jr., senior pastor at Govans Boundary. “They had a need, and for us, it’s a win-win because it’s desperately needed.”
Going forward, Turnaround Tuesday has agreed to focus on workforce development for “older teenagers and young adults,” he said. “Especially with the young people that don’t have anything to do, this will give them another alternative.”
Briscoe is looking forward to the impact Turnaround Tuesday can have in the York Road Corridor. “When people complete their program, they have a 98% chance of being employed,” Briscoe said. “It’s not just talk. If a person follows through with them from beginning to end, they will be employed.”
Turnaround Tuesday already has a longstanding relationship with a major employer near York Road, the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, said Shunbrika “Bri” Johnson, the group’s deputy executive director
She said community members are welcome to visit Turnaround Tuesday. “Community can come and learn who we are,” she said. “Feel free to reach out to volunteer. Spread the word and help with the impact that’s being made.”
“I have an immense amount of respect and pride in the work that they do, and I’m eager to be a partner in the effort that they’re doing here in the Fourth District,” said Councilman Mark Conway at the ribbon-cutting. He said he had encountered Turnaround Tuesday even before coming to the City Council.
“Turnaround Tuesdays was preparing folks for job opportunities, giving them some social supports and the skills and the people skills in order to thrive in those opportunities,” he said.
The York Road Corridor has long been a dividing line, with “some of the wealthiest communities in the city on the west side, and a lack of opportunity in parts of the communities on the east side,” Conway said.
Efforts have been made to “connect both sides of the corridor and to really bring together the Fourth District” by focusing on housing and real estate assets. But “sometimes we “forget the people. Sometimes we forget that people need jobs, people need opportunity, people need support, they need skills,” Conway said.
“In Baltimore we have to come together to support our neighbors, especially our young people and our returning citizens,” said Stefanie Mavronis, director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement. “That’s how we build long-term safety, by focusing on opportunity.”